


And you fill my head with you.

by ladymdc



Series: Rhack Attack 🥊 [14]
Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: A Hot Beekeeper & His Apiphobic Neighbor, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Beekeeping, Established Relationship, Fluff, Good Parent Handsome Jack (Borderlands), M/M, Marriage Proposal, Single Parent Handsome Jack (Borderlands), Warm and Fuzzy Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:28:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27840757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladymdc/pseuds/ladymdc
Summary: Do not let the fear of what could happen make nothing happen at all.
Relationships: Handsome Jack/Rhys (Borderlands)
Series: Rhack Attack 🥊 [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1790767
Comments: 16
Kudos: 37





	And you fill my head with you.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Dragonnova](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragonnova/gifts).



> Thank you for being such an amazing force of positivity & for giving me the inspiration to write this. 💛
> 
> (This is a direct sequel to [You fill my lungs with sweetness](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25550392), but since I wanted to gift this, I forwent creating a multi-chapter fic out of the original & set up a mini-series for this AU. Still, reading it probably isn't necessary to enjoy this work. This is just ... more fluff.)
> 
> The song/title situation is pulled from the same one: [Bloom](https://open.spotify.com/track/41yIvlFgvGwxq8qTqAR7eG?si=G8CbTrqdSMefKdULH30NFQ) (The Paper Kites)

Rhys looked up at the sky despairingly.

He had hoped he would not make an absolute fool out of himself. He had been ice skating before, after all. Sure, that had been about… twenty years ago, but the point was, Jack was not asking Rhys to speed skate around the rink. He had set a leisurely pace without comment, extending all the patience he did when it came to acclimatizing Rhys to the bees. 

But there he was.

Sprawled out on his ass in the middle of the ice. 

Of course, Rhys had taken Jack with him. Jack  _ and _ his piping hot caramel apple cider. Mercifully, he was laughing. It was that maniacal laugh Rhys had imagined when he saw Jack letting the bees cluster on him for the first time. All that was missing from the scene was Angel skating by doing a triple axel or something. 

Rhys did not have to wait long for that.

This was his fault— one-hundred percent. If Rhys had never told Jack about how he fleetingly considered using his pool as a skating rink, this would not be happening. 

“Move in with me,” Jack said. 

Rhys looked over at him, alarmed. “You cannot be serious.”

“It’s not like I’m asking you to marry me, sunshine,” he said with a smirk. 

“Either way, I didn’t say no, but your timing could use some work.”

Jack hummed and sat up, leaning over Rhys to kiss him lightly on the mouth. “It’s been a year and a half, and your lease is expiring soon. I think my timing is just fine. It’s your skating that’s the issue.” 

Rhys could not stop his lips from cracking into a smile. “I told you this was a bad idea.”

“Nothing wrong with this being memorable,” Jack replied, gesturing toward his soaking wet sweater for emphasis.

And really, given how their first date had gone, Rhys could not argue with that. 

_______________________________________________________________________________

They had Rhys moved in within a week, just in time to ring in the new year. It seemed fitting. A perfect way to anchor this new phase in their relationship, because as far as Rhys had been concerned, Jack  _ was  _ family. 

He loved Jack, and he loved Angel. But the bees… perhaps Rhys resented them because they did not fear him like he feared them. 

He only continued to work at trying to overcome it for Jack.

In short, not much had changed over the last six months, save where his belongings were kept and his role in Angel’s life. But even then, Rhys had been doing the parenting basics for a while now. Staying with her until she fell back asleep after a nightmare. Enforcing the rules that mattered, like picking up her work or wearing a coat when it was cold outside. And being lenient toward the ones that did not seem to matter as much, like getting dirty clothes  _ in  _ the basket or screen time on a rainy day. Rhys had just upgraded to emergency contact, occasional chef, and chauffeur. 

It had taken a bit for that last point to become a part of Rhys’ regular day-to-day. There was precious little he wouldn’t do for either of them, but there was even less that Jack wouldn’t do for Angel. Including running himself into the ground. 

As much as Rhys had wanted to help balance it all out, he did not push or punish Jack for not letting him sooner. The caution had been more than understandable. If things ended up not working out between them, it would have been more than just a loss for Jack. 

Jack was the only parent Angel had ever known, and Rhys was not looking to take the place of someone neither he nor Angel had ever met. Of course, Jack knew that. What it had all come down to was potentially letting her feel that loss in some way had seemed unbearable. 

Rhys thought about this as he finished up dinner. He could not help but do so today of all days. It was a Tuesday, sure. Overall, a day like any other Jack had to work late. 

But it was also their second anniversary. 

They had a date night planned over the weekend. However, even if it had fallen on a Friday or Saturday, they still would have had a quiet night in. The three of them together, just as it had been when it all started, was a nice way to celebrate.

The side door opened, and Jack came in. He seemed only partly-present as though his mind was elsewhere. 

“Hey, handsome. Are you alright?”

“Yeah. Just a long day.” Jack set a vase of flowers onto the breakfast bar. Lavender and wheat were layered into the arrangement and dotted with anemones and white garden roses. Then Jack advanced toward him.

He swept Rhys down into a dip and almost off of his feet. Rhys made a noise of surprise and clung to him. But Jack’s hand was already under his head, keeping him steady. Lips brushed against his, gentle like the fingers woven into his hair. 

“Better now though,” Jack murmured. 

There was that familiar pull of heat at the sight of Jack leaning over him, smirking slightly. But then Jack was dragging Rhys upright.

His frame was just as broad and strong yet pleasantly soft in the middle as the first time Rhys had found himself in Jack’s arms. Really, he was more physically put together than a man almost forty had any right to be.

“Glad I could be of service,” Rhys said primly. “And thank you for the flowers. They’re perfect.” 

“Nothing less for you, kitten.” Jack pressed another kiss to his mouth before moving out of the way. “Where’s honeybee?”

“Washing up.” Rhys took the garlic bread out of the oven. Fortunately, it did not somehow incinerate while he was briefly preoccupied.

“Still? I’ve been home for, like, an hour.”

“Sometimes, I really worry about how you process time.”

“Hush you,” Jack said, and Rhys humored him. A beat of silence passed before Jack followed that up with, “Hey, Angel! Did you get lost somehow? Do we need to organize a search and rescue party?”

A distant giggle. “Noooooo!”

“That’s good to know.”

Rhys gave the pot one final stir, scraping down the sides while he was at it. “She’s probably doing that thing where she tries to use her hands to blow bubbles with the soap again.” 

“Oh shit. You’re probably right. Rip the water bill.”

“Eh,” Rhys allowed. There were far worse things Angel could get up to than spending fifteen minutes washing her hands. 

The sound of a cork popping made Rhys look over his shoulder to find Jack with a bottle of wine in hand.

“Where did you get that?”

Jack made a face. “From the store?”

“Obviously, but—“

Jack then produced two stemless wine glasses from god knew where. Rhys did not even know they had wine glasses. 

“You definitely didn’t come in with it,” Rhys continued, “and are you sure you want to drink that now?”

“Well, yeah, it’s already open; plus, it’s a special occasion. It’ll go with the pasta.”

Rhys hummed and went back to wrapping up dinner. His made from scratch macaroni and cheese was something he was quite proud of. It was one of the few things Rhys could cook and do so spectacularly. Jack was probably just a little salty still that Angel preferred Rhys’, even when it happened to come from a box. 

“I wasn’t making fun of you,” Jack said. Then his sharp chin pressed into Rhys’ shoulder as arms wrapped around him. “I’m saying it’s worth a nice cab. You know— cheese, red wine, bread. Sounds good.” 

“Nice save.”

“I thought so,” Jack murmured, then buried his face in the crook of Rhys’ neck. There was a long inhale before he sighed heavily. 

Rhys abandoned slicing the bread and leaned into him, enjoying the moment of stillness. Jack probably needed more than just a moment after his day, but Rhys was confident everything would work out. As a professional security researcher, i.e., ‘white hat’ hacker, he had put the program through the paces early on to help Jack hone in on its weak points. 

Either way, it was out of his hands now, and Jack had the next few days off. It would be good for him. He could unwind, catch up on bee-related things. Perhaps have some ‘fun’ if the urge struck, and Rhys wouldn’t end up staring out the window, worrying about the thousands of bees crawling all over him. Honestly, anything that required making someone look like they were at a biohazard site should be off limits. 

The quiet was slowly filled with little feet rushing their way. “Okay! I’m ready now,” Angel said. “Hi, daddy! I helped Rhys grate the cheese.” 

Jack pressed a kiss into Rhys’ skin before letting go. “Good job, honeybee. I’m sure that was suuuuuper helpful,” he said.

Rhys had to bite his lip to stop himself from laughing. It had taken three times as long and was more than a little stressful making sure she didn’t lop off a chunk of finger. But sure, “Super helpful,” he said, and Jack squeezed his shoulder in commiseration. 

“Thank you!” Angel replied. “I had fun.” 

“Cooking is supposed to be fun.” Jack grabbed her bowl and the plate of garlic bread. “Tell me about your day at camp.”

Summer day camp was on, and pre-k was quickly becoming a distant memory. At five, Angel looked deceptively delicate. Small and willowy with large blue eyes. But in reality, she was just like her dad— headstrong and astonishingly intelligent. She would scrape her knees and tear her clothes while figuring out how to climb trees out back. Or, work at a puzzle for hours with a quiet determination only to follow it up with a burst of frenetic energy. 

By the time Angel had filled them in on her day’s adventures, the table was empty of everything except crumbs, random pieces of crust, and smudges of cheese. The wine was delicious, although Jack had barely touched it. That was not abnormal or anything. Jack hardly ever drank. 

“Before you know it, summer will be over, and you’ll be off to kindergarten,” he said, fiddling with the glass. “I submitted your enrollment paperwork today.” 

“I’ll miss my new friends.”

“I know, pumpkin. But you still have another month or so. Plus, I’m sure you’ll see some of them over breaks, or maybe you’ll end up at the same school.” 

“Can we go to the museum this weekend?” 

Jack’s eyes flicked over to his. “Yeah. I don’t see why not,” Rhys said. “With how often we go, maybe we should look into their membership program.”

“I’d like that.” Angel yawned and then immediately stated for the record. “I’m not tired. We can still watch the movie.”

They smirked. The summer program was for ages 4-12, so it did not have a designated quiet time like pre-k. It would take Angel some time to adjust, but for now, she passed out on the twenty-minute drive home, received a second wind, only to be down and out by 7:30PM.

She had maybe an hour left in her. 

Rhys got up and took the dishes with him despite the  _ look  _ he got from Jack. When one cooked, the other cleaned; but Jack had a long day and this talk was more successful when only one of them tackled it. Within a few minutes, and having received the promise of watching  _ Big Hero 6  _ again tomorrow if she passed out mid-movie, Angel ran off to get ready for bed.

Jack settled back in the chair, seemingly content if not a little off-kilter. For all of his grand gestures, like the shockingly nice boots Rhys had received that morning, Jack was not the best at receiving gifts himself. 

After a beat of staring at the small package parceled in black and gold striped paper, Jack pulled it over, then took a sip of wine. Rhys left him to it and began loading the dishwasher. Gave him space to process it all. Jack tended to buy himself whatever he wanted, so Rhys tried to get him gifts that meant something, as sappy as it was— and this year, he had chosen a book for Jack’s collection. 

It was the first edition of a historical book on beekeeping. Jack already knew everything there was to know about bees and beekeeping, but because of that, so did Rhys. 

He knew the tools, the upkeep required on the hives, the difference between pollen-filled cells and brood from honey, and to date, he had not been stung once. Granted, that was probably due to Rhys keeping his distance. But the point was, for all of his teasing and crooked smiles, Jack was genuinely cautious and never pushed Rhys beyond what he was ready for.

Rhys felt the book itself said more than words possibly could about their relationship. Thus, the card tucked inside was intentionally light-hearted. It had two cartoon bees, a little heart, and read:  _ we bee-long together.  _ He had even tried to be brief with his note. 

_ Even on the difficult days, you are the best person I know. I never get tired of being with you, and I doubt I ever will. _

However, Jack did enjoy putting that sentiment to the test. 

Rhys was getting the silverware situated in the dishwasher when Jack startled him by placing a hand on his hip. He actually jumped a little, dropping the spoon he had been holding. It clattered to the floor. 

“Damnit, Jack,” Rhys said in an exhale. 

Jack chuckled and set his empty wine glass in the sink; he liked doing that, sneaking up behind Rhys when he was focused on something or distracted.

“Leave it, and the rest of this,” Jack said, running his hands up Rhys’ sides. “I’ll clean up tomorrow. Let’s go get dessert.” 

Rhys smiled wryly at the hint of dread that automatically cropped up. Despite not sharing any raw honeycomb that first day, it was, apparently, a part of their yearly ritual. 

“You don’t even have to go far. I put a bee escape in one of the supers last night and pulled it before I went to work.” 

It was no small thing that Jack had done this. Rhys did find bees interesting, and he could even handle them up close in small quantities. However, the hives were really,  _ really _ active in the evenings because the foragers were returning. As their relationship had solidified, just how much Jack was playing with fire had become a tad overwhelming when the buzzing seemed a hundred times louder. 

“You didn’t have to do that,” Rhys said, his shoulders relaxing. “I would have managed.” 

Jack studied him intently for a moment. Looking at Rhys, or through him. What he was searching for, Jack didn’t say. He just smirked faintly, then said: “I know, but it’ll be easier this way.” 

While Jack checked in on Angel real quick, Rhys waited in the sunroom. The evening sun filtered through the high tree branches, creating dappled shadows on the hives. From here, it all looked placid though it was anything but. 

In winter, the trees had been bare and the hives dormant, and sometimes Jack would stand outside in the snow looking a bit lost at having nothing to do. Rhys understood; he did, he really did, even if he could not quite bring himself to become more involved beyond helping him harvest. 

“Alright,” Jack said as he emerged from the house. “Let’s get some honey, honey.”

Rhys rolled his eyes at the endearment, but then Jack removed the cover, and it was as though he had altogether forgotten how to move or speak, struck as he was. Instead of racks, the shallow box was filled with… what Rhys could only describe as freestanding honeycomb, in roughly the shape of a heart. Off to one side was clearly a ‘J’ while the other just held some wavy lines. 

Jack ran his fingers through his hair. “I know it’s not perfect, but that’s never been what this is about.”

Then from his pocket, Jack produced a black ring. He held it aloft so Rhys could see. The metal was brushed and embellished with an off-center, rose gold inlay that glittered faintly when it caught the light. 

“Memorable,” Rhys managed, throat tight. 

“Yeah,” Jack said, smiling faintly. “Anyway, now I’m asking you to marry me.”

His voice was sure and steady. Not a beat of hesitation. But the uncertainty in his incredible mismatched gaze filled Rhys’ chest with a warm ache. He remembered the first time he had seen that look, fleeting but there. 

But most of all, he remembered the warmth of Jack’s skin after pulling him into their first kiss.

His last first kiss.

“Of course, I’ll marry you.” 

Jack grinned and slid the ring on Rhys’ finger. It was lighter than expected, but there was heft to it. The weight of a promise he would keep for the rest of his days. Then Jack tugged Rhys into him. 

They did not kiss casually. It was not a thing of routine. It was a soft, meaningful kiss that deepened and grew more intense as it went on. Soul-searing kisses that felt like the beginning of something that could be eternal. Rhys could feel his tears sliding along Jack’s fingers. 

—but then he jerked sideways reflexively at the tickling sensation on his arm. 

“I’m sorry,” Rhys said, sniffling slightly. A bee or two occasionally came in with a super, but the feeling of them crawling on him was still too much. Especially when it was unexpected. 

“Don’t be, sunshine,” Jack said. “Aversion is better than fear.” 

Rhys knew he was speaking from experience. It was what had driven all the inconsistencies in his behavior before Jack invited him over for dinner. Rhys did not blame him for that; Jack had lost more and suffered more than anyone ever should have, but he hadn’t been just shielding himself. 

Rationally, Jack knew he could not protect Angel from everything as much as he wanted to. Her first encounter with a bully had been evidence of that. Sometimes, all he could do was offer guidance and support. However, that was now also something Jack knew he did not have to do alone. 

Their engagement was not news to Angel. She simply accepted her little piece of honeycomb and said: “I picked out the pink color.” 

“I’m glad you did,” Rhys told her, meaning it wholeheartedly, and holding Jack’s hand more tightly for it. 

“Now, I have two dads.” 

Jack traced his thumb along the ridges of Rhys’ knuckles, a familiar, soothing gesture. But he stopped at the ring and looked down at it before slipping his thumb across the metal. “I think you’ve had two dads for a while now.” Jack met his gaze. “Don’t you?” 

“Yeah!” she answered, and Rhys managed to nod before Jack tucked him into his side for the movie. 

Time was more than just seconds and minutes and hours. It could amass or hurt and heal. More often than not, the best and worst things in life were sudden. However, it did no good to let the fear of what could happen make nothing happen at all.

**Author's Note:**

> A few (un)necessary rambles:
> 
> ♦︎ My Beeverse [engagement ring of choice](https://drive.google.com/file/d/10gCki2EzU7MLZWN4QBaImvv88ZEUIcOu/view?usp=sharing).
> 
> ♦︎ I didn't explain how Jack would have created the honeycomb heart/initials because it didn't feel natural in the work. However, please check out this twitter thread for [information/pictures](https://twitter.com/byrnesong/status/1273050053997989888?s=21) on this really neat thing that inspired this proposal. From what I can gather, the keeper put foundation sheets into the design & let the bees free build in the rest of the box. 
> 
> ~~♦︎ Bee wedding next?~~
> 
> As always, thanks for reading ♥️


End file.
